rowen? roman? ron? no, it's roland.: awful offal: "I realize it's been a while since my last attempt at introspection and blog-al reflection on philippine phenomena. the past week has been p..."
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I always found it hard to describe what Filipino food is to my friends, but Roland's blog explained it very well. :)
Filipino food does not have the ideal 5-star cuisine award but it's simplicity is what makes it unique. Last night I cooked monggo, which are boiled mung beans topped with mallungay (Moringa), and inabraw, which consisted of kamote (sweet potato) and sliced gourd. When I was a kid, I wasn't too fond of meat, so my mom always cooked vegetables for me. Inabraw has always been my favorite because the dish is basically a bunch of different green vegetable cooked in a soup base. Combined with rice, it was heaven on a plate.
In any case, Roland mentioned that most Filipino food is akin to comfort food, which I whole heartily agree because it taste so good and it is so simple to make. Essentially, most Filipino vegetable dishes start off with three basic ingredients: garlic, onions, and/or tomatoes. These adds flavoring to any meat or vegetable. For further flavoring, Filipinos like to use fermented shrimp paste, bagoong (fermented fish), or patis (fish sauce). However, my mom being the health freak that she is, simply uses salt and pepper.
Since, I'm an "on the go" type of person and I often have no time to be the wifey at home by spending hours in the kitchen. I've learned to cook simple recipes that are healthy and easy to make. One thing I like about the Philippines is its abundant and cheap vegetable choices in the food market. Unlike the disappointing vegetable and fruit choices in Safeway (grocery store near Georgetown) or the expensive organic vegetable choices at Whole Foods, the Philippines (and most developing Asian countries) have a wide array of cheap and organic vegetables. The bitter melons, here, are more than a foot long, okra and green beans come in packs of 20 or more, spinach leaves are fresh, papayas are huge, mangoes are abundant, there are five different types of sweet potatoes, etc. etc. If anything, a healthy lifestyle, especially if you have the money, is so easy to have here.
I am speaking from a vegetarian foodie point of view of course. Filipino meat recipes on the other hand is a whole different blog in itself. I am not a big fan of Filipino meat dishes simply because it is cholesterol and heart attack in a pot. However, I do have respect for people who eat it. I guess that is where my American side influences me--stay away from raw and stewed entrails.
Regardless, my stay in the Philippines, thus far, has been a learning experience because I've learned to cook dishes that I never would have learned how to cook if I were in the U.S. After all, the best way to learn about a culture is to delve into the food, entrails or not, it is probably the best way to get a feel for where you come from.